1912

For the past year, ReinXeed has proven to be my constant companion in the world of power metal. After discovering their most excellent 2010 release Majestic, I hungered continuously for the foretold 2011 release from Tommy Johansson and company. Once I heard Majestic and really got a chance to compare it to the band's prior work, I realized what a pivotal album it was for the group, since it represents a real maturation in sound and talent. How then, would this continue on 1912?

Some will mark ReinXeed's brand of rapid-paced, icy symphonic power metal as forgettable, trite, and lacking "balls". If you're this close-minded, I'm just ignoring you. For the rest of us with a thirst for this sort of thing, 1912 sees ReinXeed picking up just where they left off on Majestic, albeit with a more serious tone and slightly changed sound. As you might deduce from the title and the album cover, this is a concept album of sorts about the Titanic fiasco of 1912, and the story of those passengers on board. This is an interesting theme coming from this band, and I'll admit that I was surprised. However, they handle it very proficiently while dropping a fair amount of the lyrical fluffiness observed on past albums.

Ok, so it's no Sonata Arctica, but the tone of much of this album is often similar: cold and supremely melodic, yet often very lyrically sober. While past albums have had something of a "distant" tone to them (as if the group were playing at the top of a mountain a few miles away), 1912 is a bit more clear. In general, this album boasts more orchestration than past efforts, but also sees a considerable improvement in layered vocals and choruses. Occasionally, another singer besides Johansson steps briefly into the spotlight, and while these bits take a step back towards the youthful sound we've seen on previous releases, it adds interest. Johansson has one of those very smooth voices that, if singing an extended section without too many ups and downs, might lead people to nod off a bit. I don't mean to come off poorly here though, since he really belts out some excellent leads on this album, and it is his best vocal performance yet.

In general, 1912 is a bit less immediately gripping than past efforts, but it grows on you like no one's business. The general exception to this is "The Voyage", which I feel is the best song that the band has ever composed, and I absolutely cannot get enough of it. Otherwise, the album follows a churning, frigid course from boarding the ship to the aftermath of its collision with the infamous iceberg (other excellent songs include "We Must Go Faster" and the title track). Even listening casually, it's very easy to follow the story arc and the sequence of events. The trade-off, then, is less immediate accessibility and the need to listen to the tracks consecutively in order for everything to make sense in exchange for a stronger and mature album as a whole, and one that offers a fulfilling listen from beginning to end. A minor note here: the band seems to occasionally reference its own previous work both melodically and lyrically on this release, as evidenced in both "Challenge The Storm" (see "Deep Under Sea") and "Spirit Lives On" (try "Forever Carry On").

I'm surprised, really, by how thoroughly this album shakes off any number of stereotypes about power metal. Sure, it's light and the vocals are sometimes through the roof, but it's also very tight and precise, with great guitar work, excellent orchestral hits, and very strong choral sections. With this release, the band has also shed the "flower metal" label as well, so what's left and where do we place ReinXeed? At this point, they're a bit in a class of their own, since I cannot think of many bands at all that carry a similar sound with this kind of proficiency. Bowing once again before their technical expertise and tried-and-true formula, I doff my cap to ReinXeed and proclaim 1912 as one of the best experiences of symphonic power metal in 2011.

Original review written for Black Wind Metal

Tommy Johansson is a smart guy. After a couple early attempts at putting the ReinXeed project together, he finally got started with a full album release in 2008 and has been going at breakneck speed ever since. He has released 4 albums under the ReinXeed moniker so far, one each from 2008 through 2011, as well as participating in both Golden Resurrection albums in 2010 and 2011. He also recorded a compilation called "Swedish Hitz Goes Metal" which takes classic pop hits from Ace of Base, ABBA and other Swedish pop stars and metalize them. This idea is not new, as Helloween did an ABBA cover (along with several other varying styles) a few years back, but certainly the man has done his fair share of making a name for himself within the European metal scene over the last 4 years.

The other thing that Tommy has done is consistently improve upon himself during that timeframe. By all accounts, each ReinXeed album is an improvement over the previous release. While I can't speak for the 1st 2 ReinXeed releases, as I haven't acquired or heard them yet, I will say that 1912 is a step up from Majestic both in terms of songwriting and overall performance. While Majestic was a fine album of neoclassical power metal, it had a hard time (like many of its peers) of separating itself from the pack, though the guitar work certainly helped it gain ground. 1912 puts ReinXeed in another league, however, by doing more interesting things melodically, pushing Tommy vocally in terms of combining that pop sense of melodicism with the, erm, "majestic" (sorry, pun intended) feel that this style demands, and by improved songwriting that makes the album a more interesting listen throughout. Where Majestic was content to take the rote neoclassical and power metal formulas and add Tommy's fretboard magic on top, 1912 becomes a much more fully realized release, due in part to the concept and storyline of the sinking of the Titanic. Much like the blockbuster film on the same subject, this album takes the event and turns it into a more personal and interesting affair than simply the sinking of the world's largest cruise ship.

Musically, this album is quite the tour de force. Tommy is in fine form, pumping out melodic, unique, and catchy riffs that allow the songs to be both firmly grounded, but also weightless and majestic due to the bombast. Lead playing is as good as you've ever heard from Tommy, with a nice combination of both tasteful licks and shredding leads to keep guitar solo fans happy. Drum work by Viktor Olofsson is quite good, with plenty of galloping rhythms, and his playing here is rife with precision. Bass by Nic Svensson is also good, though a bit less audible in the mix. Additional guitar work by Matias Johansson and Calle Sundberg is as it should be, with precise playing that is at once emotive and powerful. Tommy is no slouch on the keyboards as well, with several nice spots where he allows that instrument to shine without taking center stage or over-utilizing it. Lyrically, the album is strong as well, with the perspective of a passenger of the sinking Titanic through most of the songs, as well as an outsider's perspective on a couple tracks reflecting on the size, scope, and historical impact of the Titanic itself, as well as on the fact that the ship was supposed to have been "unsinkable". One contrast I find particularly enjoyable is how the sinking of the ship is somewhat overwrought in the lyrics, and an event that likely didn't take long (in the sense of the passage of time) is looked at very carefully and from multiple angles, which takes on a bit of a "slow motion" effect from the story perspective, contrasted with the speedy and melodic power metal being played. This juxtaposition works surprisingly well, and gives the album a unique feel to it.

Some of Tommy's melodies are quite unique and interesting, like the chorus melody in the title track. They are somewhat remeniscent of Blind Guardian's "A Night At the Opera" album in their sort of unique approach, and also in their somewhat grandiose execution, complete with vocal and instrumental layering. ReinXeed doesn't come off as a clone, however, which helps keep the material fresh, despite the similarity. Honestly enough, other than perhaps the album's longevity (all this bombast can be slightly tiresome after a while), or perhaps the somewhat disjointed flow of the lyrics (going from chronological storyline to musing about the Titanic and back to storyline), I don't have anything negative to say about this album. ReinXeed has done what every band should do from one release to the next: namely, to improve upon what they've already done and add new elements to their proven formula so it doesn't become stale. The band has accomplished that in spades, as I think "1912" is a significant enough step up from "Majestic" that fans of the band and newcomers alike will find plenty to love here, and will be impressed by the band's overall success with fusing the concept and story to the music. Highly recommended, if not essential for fans of the band and melodic power metal in general.

92/100

Originally posted on MetalFRO's Musings:
http://metalfroreview.blogspot.com/2011/11/reinxeed-1912-2011.html

Tommy Johanssen’s intriguing vocals and the technically impressive play of guitars and keyboards lead you by the hand through a highly immersive power metal experience. With almost all songs dealing with the atypical and seemingly restrictive theme of the sinking of RMS Titanic, one may expect a largely dry listen. However, this is emphatically not the case, and the listener is kept on their toes throughout.

Tommy has a superlative power metal voice of the angelically clean flavour, and over which he exercises phenomenal control (no Tobias Sammet-style wavering, no ‘easy-upping‘ to reach the high notes, no gimmicky vocal techniques). His voice intriguingly has an almost mechanical purity, like some kind of human square-wave. This combined with the album’s good production and the pristine musicianship of the supporting instruments gives a fittingly high-polished feel. This is most apparent on their sign-off “Aces High” cover - easily the best Iron Maiden cover I’ve heard to date, and which makes Bruce Dickinson’s straining and stressful voice seem like vulgar amateurism in comparison. Did I just say that? ...I think I did. Wow. I feel like I’m in trouble. Carrying on...

All songs on this release, including the longer ones like “Spirit Lives On” and “Challenge the Storm”, achieve great musical texture without being overtly symphonic and risking boring the listener with forced musical landscape. All employ the correct amount of catchiness - enough to make you want to loop the fucker ad absurdum while squealing along like a girl; but not enough to warrant any accusation of triteness or cheesiness.

Although the focus of each song is squarely on the vocals, slicing riffs and soaring vocal climaxes make songs such as “Reach for the Sky” unequivocally golden. Guitar solos are very well written and generally lack the obvious arpeggio-based formula that most die-hard power metal fans have largely come to expect.

Though the album totally lacks ballads (which I happen to heartily approve of), save the sobering eulogy “Pray for Japan” at the end, there are slower songs such as “1912” and “Farewell” which have great character despite the lack of chasing, high-octane instrumentation.

Though all songs tell a similar story, each reveal a different perspective - there is no notion of ReinXeed trying the same approach for all 15 songs and hoping that a couple stick - 1912 is a maturely arranged album with a one-of-a-kind sound that defies comparison. In short: a solid power metal set.

I am very excited to hear what this band offers next.

Highly recommended.